Among various technologies being developed, Converged Personal Network Service (CPNS) is a service that allows devices in one Personal Network (PN) to access services outside that PN, e.g., another PN or other network. Generally the CPNS is implemented by a CPNS enabler which can include a CPNS server, one or more Gateways (GWs), and one or more PNEs (Personal Network Elements). A PN GW generally connects one PN to another PN, e.g., using a mobile communication network. A PNE is basic component that makes up a PN, and can be a single device or a group of devices. These components and general operations of the CPNS are also discussed in Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) telecommunications standards documents.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a CPNS enabler according to a related art. As shown in FIG. 1, a CPNS server can communicate and exchange data with one or more PN gateways, each of which in turn can communicate and exchange data with one or more PNEs in a PAN (Personal Area Network).
Each of the PNEs can communicate and exchange data with the PN gateways, other devices or PNEs in other networks, etc. Each of the PN gateways can communicate and exchange data with the CPNS servers, other PN gateways, PNEs, etc. Each CPNS server can also communicate with other servers, gateways, etc. For instance, the CPNS server and the PN gateway (e.g., mobile phone) can communicate with each other through a cellular network, while the PN gateway can communicate with the PNEs through the WPAN such as Bluetooth, NFC, WiBree, Wi-Fi, etc. Generally communications between the CPNS servers, gateways, and PNEs are carried out using known networks and techniques, e.g., Bluetooth, 802.11, Wi-Fi, WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network), cellular networks such as 3GPP, etc.
The CPNS server generally manages and controls communications among the PN gateways and PNEs so that applications and information among these units of the CPNS enabler can be shared with each other to enhance the user experience. For instance, in FIG. 1, according to the CPNS service of the CPNS enabler, a user at one PNE (e.g., Portable Multimedia Player—PMP) can view GPS (Global Positioning System) information which is received from another PNE (e.g., GPS device) through a PN gateway (e.g., cellular phone). As a result, the user can have access to a more variety of services that are offered within the user's current PAN as well as outside the PAN.
There is, however, a limitation associated with the CPNS enabler. Although the units of the CPNS enabler may communicate with each other, each CPNS server, gateway or PNE/Device can only carry out functions according to its own capabilities and is thus limited to the hardware/software provided therein. For instance, a CPNS gateway such as a mobile terminal may provide a video playing function but such video playing is limited to the video playing software/application stored therein. If that video playing application plays videos that have an MPEG format, then the CPNS gateway can play only the videos of MPEG format and cannot play videos of other formats even if the videos of other formats are received by the CPNS gateway. This limits the services that can be provided by the CPNS enabler.